El Gran Combo Stays True to Salsa Blend

Celia Cruz still manages to entertain crowds, Tito Puente’s chops are still good, and Albita is perhaps the most significant Latin music star of today.

They’ll all be on hand for tonight’s third annual Salsa & Latin Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, but the show’s real treat could well be El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Generally known simply as El Gran Combo, the group makes its Bowl debut with its first local appearance in three years, marking 35 years as the ultimate symbol of Puerto Rican salsa.

“We’ve seen the merengue explosion, the ‘erotic salsa’ explosion and so many other waves, but we’ve survived them all and here we are,” says pianist Rafael Ithier, 70, one of the remaining two original members of the orchestra that symbolizes the more traditional Puerto Rican dance sound, as opposed to New York’s fusion style.

“Most New York salsa musicians are Puerto Rican, but they study in Boston and Philadelphia and begin to experiment with jazz,” says Ithier in a phone interview from his home in San Juan. “That’s all right, but El Gran Combo wants to make people dance, like . . . quickly.”

El Gran Combo was formed in 1961 by members of Cortijo y su Combo, then Puerto Rico’s No. 1 salsa orchestra. El Gran Combo soon became the island’s most popular band, peaking internationally in the years 1971-’86. The lineup has been stable since the ‘80s, including original member Eddie Perez on saxophone. Counting compilations, El Gran Combo has released around 70 albums, most recently “El Gran Combo por todo lo alto” on Fonovisa.

“When they had [singer] Andy Montaez, they used to be the music machine of the Caribbean,” says Rudolph Mangual, publisher of Latin Beat, L.A.’s leading Latin dance music magazine. “Obviously, they’re way past their prime, but they’re so good that they still matter. They don’t have an individual figure, but their collective presence has a unique magnetism.”

Unlike countryman Willie Colon, Panamanian Ruben Blades and Dominican merengue star Juan Luis Guerra, El Gran Combo has never dealt with social issues, even refusing to comment on Puerto Rico’s political situation.

“Maybe I’m wrong, but my philosophy is that politics is for the politicians, and music shouldn’t have anything to do with that,” Ithier says. “I don’t criticize those who comment on social issues, but in my case . . . what’s the point? I know freedom is the highest right one can have, but I also know that I’ll stay in Puerto Rico no matter what our status is, so why bother?”

Tonight’s concert matches El Gran Combo with a wide array of styles, and the festival is a double source of pride for the orchestra.

“We’ve played all over the world, but the Bowl is one of the very few major venues we haven’t been at. We’re old people, but who said we couldn’t have any more dreams?” says Ithier, who emphasizes that despite their traditional musical stance, they welcome new and different styles in salsa.

“We love the idea of playing with Albita for the first time, and we support new styles of salsa,” he says. “Why should everybody sound like us or Tito [Puente]? Music has to evolve into different styles, otherwise it’ll get too boring. But if you want the old stuff, come see us and you’ll end up begging for more.”

* El Gran Combo appears with Celia Cruz, the Tropi-Jazz All Stars, Albita and El General tonight at the Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., 6 p.m. $68-$23. (213) 850-2000.